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Pandemics refract sociopolitical tensions within societies and highlight how national belonging hinges on informal performances as much as legal status. While return migration has become a common practice and institutionalized strategy of state development, little scholarly work has probed how domestic populations view returnees and their claims to national membership. Using a large-scale, pre-registered online survey experiment deploying a give-or-take Dictator Game, this paper leverages the dynamics of COVID-19 to explore how Chinese nationals envision and treat returnees. First, our results illustrate that the Chinese population imagines returnees as a group of elites with substantial social and financial capital, even though returnees are a socio-economically diverse population. Next, by applying information priming, we demonstrate that Chinese nationals discriminated against overseas returnees during the pandemic and that this behavior was not primarily driven by fears of viral contagion. Finally, using mediation analysis, we show that participants' differential behavior towards returnees can largely be explained by participants' perceptions of returnees' class status and adherence to key markers of national membership. Ultimately, this paper broadens our understanding of the informal dynamics of national membership and intergroup relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new lanostane triterpenoids (1-3) along with two new amides fatty compounds (4-5) were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of a culture of the endophytic fungus Alternaria sp. gx-2. Their structures were identified by 1D and 2D NMR spectral data and HRESIMS. Compounds 1-12 were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and tyrosinase inhibition activities. The isolated compounds did not show inhibitory activities at a concentration of 100 μM against tyrosinase, while under the concentration of 10 μM, the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) inhibition rate of compound 1 was 54.45%, indicating that compound 1 had moderate anti-inflammatory activity on the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infections of the central nervous system (CNS) are potentially life-threatening and can cause serious morbidity. We evaluated the clinical value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in the diagnosis of infectious encephalitis and meningitis and explored the factors affecting the results of mNGS. Patients with suspected cases of encephalitis or meningitis who presented in Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from 1 March 2018 to 30 September 2022 were collected. Demographic, historical, and clinical information were obtained, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were treated with mNGS. The pathogen was identified using National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank sequence data. Ninety-six patients were screened and finally 90 subjects enrolled. Of the 90 enrolled cases, 67 (74.4%) were diagnosed with central nervous system infections, which included 48 cases (71.6%) of viral infection, 11 (12.2%) of bacterial infection, 5 (7.5%) of mycobacterium tuberculosis, 2 (3.0%) of fungal infection, and 1 (1.5%) of rickettsia infection. From these cases, mNGS identified 40 (44.4%) true-positive cases, 3 (3.3%) false-positive case, 22 (24.4%) true-negative cases, and 25 (27.8%) false-negative cases. The sensitivity and specificity of mNGS were 61.5% and 88%, respectively. mNGS of CSF could show a higher positive rate in patients with marked CSF abnormalities, including elevated protein concentrations and monocyte counts. mNGS of CSF is an effective method for detecting infectious encephalitis and meningitis, and the results should be analyzed combined with conventional microbiological testing results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis is still the leading cause of death as a result of infection. Metabolic disorder plays a vital role in sepsis progression. Glycolysis intensification is the most characteristic feature of sepsis-related metabolic disorders. The enzyme 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) is a critical engine that controls the rate of glycolysis. Recent studies have revealed that sepsis accelerates the rate of PFKFB3-driven glycolysis in different cells, including macrophages, neutrophils, endothelial cells and lung fibroblasts. Furthermore, increased PFKFB3 is closely related to the excessive inflammatory response and high mortality in sepsis. Interestingly, inhibition of PFKFB3 alone or in combination has also shown great potential in the treatment of sepsis. Therefore, an improved understanding of the canonical and noncanonical functions of PFKFB3 may provide a novel combinatorial therapeutic target for sepsis. This review summarizes the role of PFKFB3-driven glycolysis in the regulation of immunocyte activation and nonimmune cell damage in sepsis. In addition, we present recent achievements in the development of PFKFB3 drugs and discuss their potential therapeutic roles in sepsis. Sepsis induces high expression of PFKFB3 in immunocytes and nonimmune cells, thereby enhancing cellular glycolytic flux. PFKFB3-driven glycolysis reprogramming is closely related to an excessive inflammatory response and high mortality in sepsis. Inhibition of PFKFB3 alone or in combination provides a novel combinatorial therapeutic target for sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although multiple myeloma is still incurable, an abundance of novel treatments have become available for relapsed and or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Direct head-to-head comparisons between the novel treatments are lacking. We performed a network meta-analysis to evaluate immediate effects such as response quality of current novel-drugs combined therapeutic regimens, with the aim to identify treatments that could be more effective than others in RRMM. We searched Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for randomized controlled clinical trials receiving novel-drugs combined treatments as means of interventions. The primary endpoint was objective response rates (ORRs). We used the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) to sequence treatments. Totally, 22 randomized controlled trials were identified for final evaluation. With the aim to include all regimens within one network analysis, we divided the treatment schemes into 13 categories according to the use of novel drugs. Carfilzomib-, daratumumab-, and isatuximab-based treatments had better ORRs than bortezomib combined dexamethasone and lenalidomide combined dexamethasone. Daratumumab- and isatuximab-based treatments had better ORRs than pomalidomide combined dexamethasone. According to the SUCRA, daratumumab- and isatuximab-based triple-drug regimens had higher probabilities of achieving better ORRs, followed by carfilzomib, elotuzumab, venetoclax, selinexor, ixazomib, vorinostat, pomalidomide, panobinostat, lenalidomide. Our network meta-analysis performed a complete review of the ORRs of all current available novel-drugs based regimens for RRMM. By using the clinical data all from randomized controlled studies, daratumumab- and isatuximab-based treatments were identified to be the best treatments receiving better response quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by excessive intracellular lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Cinnamyl alcohol (CA), one of the cinnamon extracts, has been shown to exhibit anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. We proposed that CA was beneficial to NAFLD. Serum cytokines and components of the lipid metabolism were determined in children with NAFLD against age-matched comparisons. A NAFLD mouse model was established by high fat and high carbohydrate (HFHC) diet in male C57BL/6 mouse pups, followed by administration of CA. The effects of CA on lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammation in hepatic tissues were assessed. Abnormal lipid metabolism and inflammatory responses were observed in the children with NAFLD as compared with the controls. CA reduced the weight of obese mice without affecting food intake as well as alleviating liver injury caused by HFHC feeding. CA was found to mitigate dyslipidemia and reduce hepatic steatosis in HFHC-fed mice by down-regulating genes related to lipogenesis, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor-1c (SREBP-1c), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1). Additionally, CA treatment reversed HFHC-induced oxidative stress and inflammation, evidenced by the decreased liver reactive oxygen species (ROS), hepatic inflammatory cytokine levels, and F4/80-positive macrophage infiltration in HFHC diet mice. CA reduced the protein levels of pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3), adapter protein apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), and caspase-1 in the liver tissues significantly. CA alleviates HFHC-induced NAFLD in mice, which is associated with the amelioration in lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the problem of finite-time H ∞ stabilisation for neural networks (NNs) subject to mixed-type communication attacks via an improved dynamic event-triggered scheme (DETS). The complex cyber-attacks considered consist of three common types of attacks: replay attacks, deception attacks, and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Different from most articles which use independent Bernoulli variables to model the cyber-attacks, this paper considers these attacks into a unified Markovian jump framework for modelling. In order to save the limited network communication resources, the improved DETS is adopted. An appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF) containing the proposed improved DETS condition is constructed, and sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee finite-time H ∞ stabilisation of the system. Then, according to a set of feasible linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), the co-design of event-trigger and H ∞ controller is given. Finally, two numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the exponential synchronization of fractional-order multi-links complex dynamical networks (CDNs) is studied based on non-periodically intermittent control. By means of the Lyapunov method and graph-theoretic approach, a Lyapunov-type theorem is provided based on the existence of vertex-Lyapunov functions. Then by giving the specific vertex-Lyapunov functions, a coefficients-type theorem is presented where the conditions of it are based on the coefficients of system. Moreover, to show the practicality of theoretical results, we give two applications to fractional-order chaotic CDNs with multiple links and fractional-order Hindmarsh–Rose neuron systems with multiple links, respectively. Meanwhile, two numerical examples are given to demonstrate the validity and feasibility of the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided natural orifice transluminal gallbladder polypectomy provides a minimally invasive alternative to cholecystectomy. The study aimed to investigate the feasibility and safety of protocol for gallbladder endoscopic mucosal resection (gEMR) under EUS guidance using a porcine model. Fifteen Bama mini pigs were randomly divided into the control (CG, n = 3) and experimental (EG, n = 12) groups. EUS-guided fine needle aspiration was performed in the CG and used to establish a gallbladder pathway for polyp resection under EUS guidance in the EG. Procedural safety was evaluated using routine blood and biochemical tests, microbial bile cultures, histopathological tests, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for inflammatory adhesion factors. EUS-guided metal stents were successfully deployed in all 12 pigs. Two cases of stent displacement occurred postoperatively, and one pig died of infectious peritonitis on the first day after stent implantation. In 11 surviving experimental animals, mature gallbladder paths were formed at 7–14 days after gastro-cholecystostomy, through which gEMR of gallbladder polyps was successfully performed. There were no significant changes in levels of inflammatory and adhesion factors during the postoperative process. EUS-gEMR may be a safe and effective minimally invasive treatment approach for gallbladder polyps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the idea of the decoupling combustion technology and considering the effect of the high temperature on the coking and slagging, a fusion decoupling combustion technical scheme is proposed. The technical scheme divides the continuous combustion process into the fusion gasification stage and gasified gas combustion stage. During the fusion gasification stage, the air required for the gasification reaction is preheated to keep the temperature in the gasification zone above the ash fusion temperature. Then, the high-temperature gas flows into the combustion zone. Meanwhile, the flue gas and the air required for the combustion are introduced, thereby ensuring the burnout of combustible components and decreasing the NOx emission. Corresponding process model is established on the Aspen Plus platform. Through comparison with experimental data, the rationality of the modelling method is verified. And the simulation results show that in the scheme, the mass fraction of carbon in raw biomass could be converted completely. With the increase of ER from 0.33 to 0.47, LHV of product gas decreases from 5.5 MJ/Nm3 to 1.5 MJ/Nm3. The rising preheating temperature could decrease the content of H2 and increase the content of CO, which leads to that the LHV keeps the same, thereby that the effect of preheating temperature on the combustion zone could be ignored. The relationship between preheating temperature and the ratio of Air1 plays a decisive role in the implementation of the scheme. When the ratio of Air1 is equal to 0.47, the NOx emission is lower than 70 mg/m3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mussel farms are common structure to culture shellfish in the open sea. A numerical model is developed to analyze the interaction between mussel farm and waves, in which the mussel droppers are simulated as porous media. The surface elevation around porous breakwater and the force on mussel dropper from physical model tests are applied to validate our numerical model for simulating the interaction between waves and porous media. Furthermore, the effect of spacing between two adjacent mussel droppers on the force acting on mussel droppers is discussed, and the interaction between mussel farm and oblique waves is also analyzed. The results indicate that the drag force on the downstream mussel droppers is decreased significantly with the decrease of spacing, and it is sensitive to the spacing when the spacing is smaller than three times the diameter of mussel dropper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis is a form of iron-dependent cell death caused by an excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. The importance of ferroptosis in the occurrence and progression of various diseases is gradually being recognized; however, the exact biological effects and potential mechanisms of endothelial cell ferroptosis remain unclear. The endothelium forms the innermost layer of the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. It acts as an important functional interface, responds to various pathological stimuli and causes endothelial dysfunction. Here, we review recent findings to elucidate the role of ferroptosis in endothelial cells under different pathophysiologic settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to investigate whether early age at menarche is associated with increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage among Chinese women. Clinical data from 6,383 Chinese women who gave birth to live singleton infants at The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College between October 2016 and October 2019 were extracted from the electronic medical records system. Patients were categorized into four groups according to their age at menarche (≤12, 13, 14 and ≥15 years). Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for postpartum hemorrhage for the different menarche age groups. After controlling for potential confounders, women with menarche at an early age (≤12 years) had a significantly higher risk of developing postpartum hemorrhage than women with an age at menarche of 13 years, and the ORs (95% CIs) for postpartum hemorrhage across the menarche age categories (≤12, 13, 14 and ≥15 years) were 1.27 (1.02–1.81), 1.00 (reference), 0.95 (0.61–1.57), and 0.91 (0.51–1.58), respectively. Moreover, age at menarche was inversely associated with the risk of postpartum hemorrhage after adjustment for all relevant confounding factors, and the OR (95% CI) for postpartum hemorrhage per year of increasing in the age at menarche was 0.93 (0.74–0.99). Early age at menarche was associated with a significantly increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage after adjustment for known confounding factors. This finding could help obstetricians and midwives to identify pregnant women at higher risk of developing postpartum hemorrhage, and allow early preventative strategies to be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Race disparities exist in bone metastasis (BM) development and survival in lung cancer (LC) patients. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to investigate different patterns of BM development and survival in different races. Design: LC patients with BM were identified from the database from 2010 to 2014. Risk factors were investigated by univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Potential factors for prognosis were evaluated by univariable and multivariable Cox regression. Results: Asian and Pacific Islander (API) patients presented the highest prevalence of BM (24.6%), followed by white (20.7%) and black patients (19.9%) (χ2 = 78.74; p <.001). After adjusting for the demographic and clinical factors, API race was independently associated with a high risk of BM development. The median survival times for the API, white and black LC patients with BM were 16 months (95% CI: 15.2–16.8), 11 months (95% CI: 10.9–11.1) and 10 months (95% CI: 9.7–10.3), respectively, with significant differences (p <.001). Multivariable Cox regression showed that API race was positively associated with greater overall survival compared with white and black patients. Male gender, larger tumor size, lymph node involvement, lower tumor differentiated grade, and the presence of lung, liver and brain metastases were independently associated with a high risk of developing BM and worse survival with LC across all races. Age, income, insurance and histological types had different impacts on BM among different races. Conclusion: Homogeneous and heterogeneous associated factors for BM were revealed among different races. Individualized screening and treatment should be performed race-specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine if interventional cardiologists' knowledge and attitudes toward pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing influenced their antiplatelet prescribing decisions in response to CYP2C19 results. Materials & methods: Surveys were administered prior to participating in a randomized trial of CYP2C19 testing. Associations between baseline knowledge/attitudes and agreement with the genotype-guided antiplatelet recommendations were determined using multivariable logistic regression. Results: 50% believed that PGx testing would be valuable to predict medication toxicity or efficacy. 64% felt well informed about PGx testing and its therapeutic application. However, PGx experience, knowledge, nor attitudes were significantly associated with agreement to genotype-guided antiplatelet recommendations. Conclusion: Cardiologists' knowledge and attitudes were not associated with CYP2C19-guided antiplatelet prescribing, but larger studies should be done to confirm this finding. Our study aimed to determine if interventional cardiologists' knowledge and attitudes toward pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing influenced their medication prescribing decisions in response to variations in patients' genes. Surveys were given to the cardiologist prior to their participation in a PGx study. Associations between initial knowledge/attitudes and agreement with the PGx-guided medication recommendations were determined. 50% believed that PGx testing would be valuable to predict medication toxicity or efficacy. A total of 64% felt well informed about PGx testing and its therapeutic application. However, PGx experience, knowledge, or attitudes did not align with antiplatelet prescribing decisions. Cardiologists' knowledge and attitudes were not associated with PGx-guided medication prescribing, but larger studies should be done to confirm this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To present an unusual case of recurrent multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) following the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination. Review of the clinical, laboratory, photographic, and angiographic records of a patient with MEWDS. A 49-year-old female who had MEWDS nine years ago presented to our clinic with blurred vision in her left eye. These symptoms occurred 2 days following Covid-19 vaccination. Fundus examinations and diagnostic testing were consistent with recurrent MEWDS. While rare, MEWDS can reoccur following Covid-19 vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study carried out with a field plot experiment and light environment simulation experiment in 2017 to assess the effect of spectral distribution on internode elongation in soybean canopy. Henong 60 and Heinong 48 were used as the experimental materials. The spectral distribution in the soybean canopy was studied under four planting densities 200,000(D20), 300,000(D30), 400,000(D40) and 500,000(D50) plant ha−1. Meanwhile, a pot experiment of light environment simulation with light-emitting diode (LED) was carried out to further analyze the effects of light quantity and quality on the elongation of soybean seedlings. The results showed that the intensity of PAR, blue light, red light and far-red light in soybean canopy decreased by varying degrees with density and canopy depth increasing, and the decrease of PAR and R/FR led to significant elongation of internodes and plant height in high density. The spectral intensity in the middle and base of the canopy was strongly reduced, resulting in the strongest internode elongation in the middle of soybean stem. The increase in soybean plant height was also mainly due to the internode elongation in the middle at high density. In addition, the mono-light of far-red light could promote the internode elongation, while the red light and blue light acted as inhibitors and the inhibitory effect of blue light was even greater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Nivolumab and Ipilimumab are immune checkpoint inhibitors. The combination of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab has been reported to have complementary effects in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. The combination therapy of Nivolumab and Ipilimumab (N+I) has shown synergistic effects in cancer immunotherapy but this is still controversial due to the higher incidence of toxicity. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of Nivolumab combined with Ipilimumab and compared the different dosing schedules of the N+I combination. Methods: By searching in PubMed, PMC, Cochrane library and major conference abstracts, eligible sixteen studies including N+I therapy and Nivolumab monotherapy were selected to analyze overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and high-grade (3-4) adverse effects (AEs). Results: Compared with monotherapy of Nivolumab, N+I significantly improved ORR (RR=1.40 [95% CI 1.27, 1.54], P<0.00001) and PFS (Hazard Ratio (HR)=0.83 [95% CI 0.77, 0.90], P<0.00001), but not OS (HR=0.93 [95% CI 0.84, 1.03], P=0.16). In a sub-analysis, the combination of Nivolumab 1mg/kg plus Ipilimumab 3mg/kg (N1I3) and Nivolumab 3mg/kg plus Ipilimumab 1mg/kg (N3I1) achieved better ORR and PFS than Nivolumab 3mg/kg (N3) alone. Remarkably, OS was also prolonged with the N1I3 combination compared with the N3I1 combination or N3. Furthermore, a higher incidence of high-grade AEs also occurred with the combination therapy of N1I3. Conclusions: N+I combination therapy showed greater ORR and PFS compared with Nivolumab monotherapy. N1I3 combination provided the benefit of ORR, PFS and OS but was associated with a higher incidence of toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel cadmium compound [CdL(bipy)2]·6H2O was synthesized by hydrothermal method, and its crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The title compound crystallized in the monoclinic system of the C2/c space group, and existed as an isolated monocyte structure. The strong π...π stacking interactions produces one-dimensional (1-D) chains and a three-dimensional (3-D) supramolecular structure is formed by a large number of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. A series of properties of the title compound were tested by solid state photoluminescence, CIE analysis and solid-state diffuse reflectance, and the charge transfer of the title compound was studied by time-dependent density functional theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider quantitative estimates in periodic homogenization for second-order elliptic systems with stratified structure on bounded Lipschitz domains. Under rather general smoothness assumptions on A and ρ, we establish a sharp-order scale-invariant convergence rate in L 2 d / (d − 1) (Ω). As a byproduct, a qualitative homogenization result is also derived under more or less sharp conditions on A and ρ. The results obtained here improve our previous results greatly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the stabilisation of stochastic coupled systems with time-varying delays and Lévy noise on networks (SCSTLN) via periodically intermittent control. And here, internal delays, white noise and Lévy noise are considered in the networks. To ensure stability of SCSTLN with a periodically intermittent controller, several simple and useful criteria are obtained by establishing a new differential inequality and using a graph-theoretic approach. The intensity of control is closely related to the coupling strength and the perturbed intensity of white noise and Lévy noise. In particular, the stabilisation of stochastic coupled oscillators with time-varying delays and Lévy noise on a network as a practical application of our theoretical results is studied. Finally, a numerical example about oscillators network is carried out to show the validity and feasibility of our analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of new Olaparib derivatives was designed and synthesized, and their inhibitory activities against poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases-1 (PARP-1) enzyme and cancer cell line MDA-MB-436 in vitro were evaluated. The results showed that compound 5l exhibited the most potent inhibitory effects on PARP-1 enzyme (16.10 ± 1.25 nM) and MDA-MB-436 cancer cell (11.62 ± 2.15 μM), which was close to that of Olaparib. As a PARP-1 inhibitor had been reported to be viable to neuroprotection, in order to search for new multitarget-directed ligands (MTDLs) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the inhibitory activities of the synthesized compounds against the enzymes AChE (from electric eel) and BChE (from equine serum) were also tested. Compound 5l displayed moderate BChE inhibitory activity (9.16 ± 0.91 μM) which was stronger than neostigmine (12.01 ± 0.45 μM) and exhibited selectivity for BChE over AChE to some degree. Molecular docking studies indicated that 5l could bind simultaneously to the catalytic active of PARP-1, but it could not interact well with huBChE. For pursuit of PARP-1 and BChE dual-targeted inhibitors against AD, small and flexible non-polar groups introduced to the compound seemed to be conducive to improving its inhibitory potency on huBChE, while keeping phthalazine-1-one moiety unchanged which was mainly responsible for PARP-1 inhibitory activity. Our research gave a clue to search for new agents based on AChE and PARP-1 dual-inhibited activities to treat Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Resveratrol has been confirmed to improve bone quality and delay osteoporosis, but the mechanisms have not been thoroughly elucidated. In this report, we investigated the osteogenic differentiation effect of resveratrol on senescent bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and the involvement of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/ reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling pathway. Methods: Cell senescence, viability, and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs influenced by resveratrol were investigated and ROS production and AMPK expression were detected. Results: Cell senescence, characterized by senescence β-galactosidase staining and senescence-related genes (p16, p21, and p53) expression, was attenuated by resveratrol. Cell viability, extracellular matrix calcification, and osteogenic-related genes expression were significantly enhanced after resveratrol treatment. ROS production in BMSCs was inhibited while AMPK expression was up-regulated by resveratrol. Inhibition of AMPK expression by compound C reduced resveratrol-prompted osteogenesis and ROS production down-regulation. Conclusion: These results provide a potential mechanism involving AMPK activation/ROS inhibition signaling pathway in osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs enhanced by resveratrol. It suggests that development of therapy towards ROS is an effective way for osteoporosis treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the issue of finite-time lag synchronization of coupled reaction–diffusion systems with time-varying delay (CRDSTD) is considered. A periodically intermittent controller is designed such that drive system and corresponding response system can achieve finite-time lag synchronization. By using graph theory and Lyapunov method, two sufficient criteria are presented to guarantee the finite-time lag synchronization of CRDSTD. Moreover, the time of achieving lag synchronization of CRDSTD is estimated. Finally, a numerical example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to develop a ratiometric and colorimetric organic sensor for Pb2+ detection in environmental samples. A new probe 4-phenyl amino thiourea (PAT) was designed and synthesized using hydrazine hydrate and phenyl isothiocyanate as raw materials. After its structure was characterized and confirmed, its UV-vis spectral property was investigated in detail. PAT possesses a specifically real-time, ratiometric and colorimetric response to Pb2+ in dimethyl formamide (DMF)/H2O (v/v = 9:1, pH = 7.0) within 18.0 s. There was little interference in the presence of some other common metal ions, such as Fe3+, Cd2+, Zn2+, Mg2+, Cr3+, Ca2+, Ba2+, Sn2+, Na+, Mn2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+. Under the optimized conditions (DMF/H2O with v/v of 9:1, cPAT = 1.0 × 10−3 mol·L−1, pH = 7.0), the present sensor PAT was successfully applied for Pb2+ determination in environmental water samples with satisfied recoveries (83.0%-106.0%) and analytical precision (≤7.2%). The recognition mechanism was confirmed to form a stable 1:1 six-member ring complex between the target dye and Pb2+ with a coordination constant of 4.96 × 104. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the effect of oxygen in coal oxidation is very important for understanding and controlling coal spontaneous combustion. However, the oxygen effect is not very easy to determine clearly due to the large effect of heat source on coal oxidation in temperature rising experiments. Here, focused on sub-bituminous coal, the oxygen effect was separated from coal oxidation by continuously measuring FTIR spectra of coal with respect to varying temperatures and under oxygen and nitrogen. The active groups’ real-time changes of coal oxidation, thermal treatment and oxygen effect were measured. The carboxylic ester and carboxyl units are the main functional groups that increase with temperatures increasing under oxygen and nitrogen, while the other functional groups decrease in quantity. The oxygen effect promoted the consumption of aliphatic hydrocarbons and hydroxyl groups and also promoted the formation of oxygen-containing groups (except hydroxyl). Four characteristic temperature stages involved in the oxygen effect and their key functional groups were identified. Simultaneously, the relationship of oxygen consumption and chemisorption in oxygen effect was analyzed. The starting temperature of oxygen chemisorption is between 50 and 60°C. The maximum contribution of oxygen effect was observed in methyl and methylene groups. These results are important for chemical control of coal spontaneous combustion. The oxidation of aliphatic hydrocarbon should be controlled before oxygen chemisorption. The value of oxygen consumption between 70 and 80°C can be measured accurately due to the constant chemisorption rate, which help to identify the tendency for spontaneous combustion. These results will help in better understanding of the reaction mechanism of coal oxidation, especially the oxygen effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the mechanisms underlying the effects of nitrogen on nodulation and nitrogen fixation of leguminous plants remain uncertain. To further investigate the relationship between nitrogen with nodulation and nitrogen fixation of soybean plants, a young seedling grafting technique was applied to generate soybean plants with dual root systems. The two root systems were separately cultured in sand medium, with one irrigated with nutrient solution containingoras nitrogen sources (the N+ side) and another irrigated with nitrogen-free nutrient solution (the N− side). Various nitrogen concentrations, 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/L, were applied to the N+-side root system to determine the effects of nitrogen concentrations on nodulation and nitrogenase activity of soybean plants. The results showed that in the dual root systems constructed by seedling grafting, the number and weight of root nodules at the N+ side both exhibited a single-peak changing trend of first increasing and then decreasing with nitrogen concentrations. Root nodulation was accelerated by low concentrations of nitrogen (<50 mg/L) and significantly suppressed by high concentrations of nitrogen (>50 mg/L). In contrast, the number and weight of root nodules at the N− side showed a constant increasing trend with the increase in nitrogen concentrations. Taken together, these results indicated that high nitrogen concentration exerts a contact-dependent localized inhibitory effect on the formation (number of nodules) and growth of root nodules (weight of nodules). The nitrogenase activities in the root nodules at both the N+ and the N− sides displayed trends of first increasing and then decreasing with nitrogen concentrations, reaching a single peak when the nitrogen concentration was 50 mg/L. In addition, the promotive or inhibitory effects of nitrogen at different concentrations on nitrogenase activity in the root nodules were synchronous between the N+ and the N− sides, suggesting that the effect of nitrogen is systematically regulated via interactions between the aboveground and underground parts of the plants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) acts mainly in a local, paracrine fashion to regulate vascular tone and cell proliferation. Although severalin vivostudies have demonstrated that CNP exerts an inhibitory effect on mesangial matrix generation, a limited number of reports exist about the anti-extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation effect of CNP and its underlying mechanisms in mesangial cells (MCs)in vitro. In this study, human MCs were incubated in serum-containing medium in the absence or presence of CNP (0, 10 and 100 pM) for 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively. CNP administration significantly suppresses MCs proliferation and collagen (Col)-IV expression in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In addition, the study presented herein was designed as a first demonstration of the regulative effects of CNP on the metabolisms of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in MCsin vitro, and found that: (1) CNP administration significantly decreased the secretion and expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the cultured MCs; (2) the secretion and expression of TIMP-1 progressively elevated after treatment with CNP for 24 and 48 h, whereas declined at later time point; (3) CNP expression was negatively correlated with MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression; (4) the balance of MMPs/TIMPs was shifted toward the reduction in MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity and/or the increment in TIMP-1 expression, which could not account for the down-regulation of Col-IV expression in CNP-treated MCs. In conclusion, CNP suppresses mesangial proliferation and ECM expressionviaa MMPs/TIMPs-independent pathwayin vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Nephrotoxicity remains a serious adverse effect of cisplatin chemotherapy, limiting its clinical usage. Numerous studies show that oxidative stress and inflammation are closely associated with cisplatin-induced renal damage. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) has been found to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammation functions. Therefore, we investigated the potential curative effects of AS-IV against cisplatin-induced renal injury and the possible cellular mechanism for activity, bothin vitroandin vivo. We found that pretreatment of HK-2 cells with AS-IV could mitigate cisplatin-induced cell damage caused by oxygen-free radicals and the inflammatory response, as evidenced by reduced formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory cytokines. AS-IV improved cisplatin-induced renal dysfunction and histopathological injury in mice. Additionally, AS-IV enhanced the activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT). It also inhibited cisplatin-induced overproduction of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), malondialdehyde (MDA), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF − α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in kidney tissues. We found that the protective effects of AS-IV occurred via activation of the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) proteins and inhibition of nuclear factor-κappaB (NF-κB) activation. Further, small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of Nrf2 abrogated the protective effects of AS-IV against cisplatin-induced oxidative stress and blocked the inhibitory effects of AS-IV on cisplatin-induced NF-κB activation and inflammatory cytokine production. In conclusion, our data suggested that AS-IV attenuated cisplatin-mediated renal injury, and these protective effects might be due to inhibition of both oxidative damage and inflammatory response via activation of Nrf2 system and suppression of NF-κB activation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The initiation and progression of renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) is a complicated process in which many factors may play an activate role. Among these factors, C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is an endothelium-derived hormone and acts in a local, paracrine fashion to regulate vascular smooth muscle tone and proliferation. In this study, we established a rat model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). CNP expression tends to be higher immediately after ligation and declined at later time points, occurring predominantly in tubular epithelial cells. A high-level CNP may contribute to the elevated expression of natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-B in the early phase of UUO. However, the sustained expression of NPR-C and neutral endopeptidase (NEP) observed throughout the study period (that is up to 3 months) helps to, at least partly, explain the subsequent decline of CNP. Thus, NEP and NPRs participate in the regulation of CNP expression in RIF. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity. It may occur due to existence of other mental or physical diseases or from the medications for those illnesses. It is one of the leading sources of disability. Among these physical diseases, epilepsy is widely recognized as one of the main causes of depression. Patients with epilepsy are at high risk of developing depressive symptoms, and the suicide rates in patients with epilepsy have been reported to be much higher than in the general population. However, due to fears of lowering seizure threshold and adverse drug interactions between antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs, physician are reluctant to place patients with epilepsy on antidepressant medication. As a result, the question has been raised that what the best managements should be used to treat epileptic patients with depression. In this review, the currently used medications for antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs were summarized by their working targets in order to establish appropriate pharmacological management of depression and epilepsy. Despite the complex relationship between epilepsy and depression, coadministration of antidepressants and AEDs can still be done safely and effectively under the conditions of good clinical management. The ideal antidepressants for people with epilepsy should be efficacious but with few adverse effects, which will not antagonize GABAergic mechanisms or interfere with plasma anticonvulsant concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The remarkable differences between the infrared spectra of oxygen adsorption and nitrogen desorption in coal have been experimentally and theoretically investigated. Density functional theory calculations were performed to better explain the mechanism of oxygen adsorption using six different molecular models of coal. In addition, the remarkable differences of infrared spectra between oxygen adsorption and nitrogen desorption was defined as the indexV, which was used to classify the spontaneous combustion tendency of coal. The experimental data indicated that the spectra in the 4000–2000 cm−1and 1250–1050 cm−1regions exhibited significant changes. These results suggest that the mechanism of oxygen adsorption is the alteration and transfer of charge density around the activated sites, which leads to the observed changes of the infrared spectra. TheV, which is related to the alteration of spectral intensity, is found to decrease with the increase of adiabatic oxidation time and the relative spontaneous combustion period of coal. This observation solidifies the connection between sample spectral intensity and oxygen chemisorption. These data suggest that the hydroxy in hydroxy and carboxyl groups on the surface of coal particles is the site of oxygen chemisorption, and theVcan be used to rapidly and accurately categorize the spontaneous combustion tendency of coal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The nucleoside analogue 4-thiothymidine has shown great potential in vitro as a photosensitiser for the photodynamic therapy of numerous cancer cell lines. However, the limited penetrating power of UV-A radiation, to which it responds, raises doubts as to its practical usefulness in clinical applications. We addressed this issue by studying the penetration extent of topical thiothymidine and the antiproliferative effect of its combination with UV-A radiation on ex vivo basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) skin cancer biopsies, and normal skin. Our results show that both the intralesional concentration of the drug and the intensity of UV-A radiation are sufficient to activate the molecule and cause extensive death by apoptosis of the malignant cells. Normal skin biopsies were not significantly affected by the treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbiological transformation of the triterpene nigranoic acid (3,4-secocycloarta-4(28),24(Z)-diene-3,26-dioic acid) (1) to 3,4-secocycloarta-4(28),17(20),24(Z)-triene-7β-hydroxy-16β,26-lactone-3-oic acid (2) and 3,4-secocycloarta-4(28),17(20)(Z),24(Z)-triene-7β-hydroxy-16β-methoxy-3,26-dioic acid (3) by the freshwater fungus Dictyosporium heptasporum YMF1.01213 has been demonstrated. The structures of the biotransformation products were determined by spectroscopic and MS analyses. Compound 2, characterized by the presence of a formed C-16/C-26 ester bridge, provided a novel nine-membered lactone ring structural skeleton for 3,4-secocycloartane triterpenoid derivatives. In addition, Compounds 1–3 exhibited weak anti-HIV activity in vitro. Compounds 2 and 3 were reported for the first time as natural product derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusions: The long-term quality of life of adolescents with chronic rhinosinusitis improved significantly after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), and endoscopic sinus surgery showed certain benefits for adolescent patients. The selection of appropriate patients may further improve the surgical outcomes and quality of life. Objective: To analyze the long-term quality of life in adolescents (12-18 years) with chronic rhinosinusitis after endoscopic sinus surgery, and to evaluate the value of endoscopic sinus surgery in adolescent patients. Methods: From 2003 to 2008, 729 adolescents with chronic sinusitis underwent endoscopic sinus surgery in our department; 270 of these patients were included in the study. Their quality of life was assessed before and within 3-8 years after the surgery using the SNOT-20 scale and was compared with that of healthy individuals of the same age. Results: The SNOT-20-based assessment showed that the overall quality of life differed significantly before and after surgery ( p = 0.000) and that some symptoms (dizziness, sense of facial oppression, sleep difficulty, embarrassment, and fatigue) had no significant differences before and after surgery ( p > 0.05). Preoperative and postoperative symptoms (dizziness, sense of facial oppression, sleep difficulty, embarrassment, and fatigue) showed no significant differences between the healthy population and treated patients ( p > 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from China's population-based 2000 census, this ecological study examined the association between gender equity and women's contraceptive use in 30 provinces. Five province-level indicators of gender equity were used: sex ratio at birth, health, employment, education, and political participation. With the exception of sex ratio, all indices were comprised of several components. The indicators and components were grouped into tertiles. Generalized linear models were used to examine the associations between these indicators and contraceptive use. Provinces in the middle tertile of political participation had higher prevalence of contraceptive use than those in the lowest tertile (β = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.02–0.52, p < 0.034). Compared to regions in the lowest tertile, regions in the highest tertile of the proportion of females in provincial-level parties and government (β = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.04–0.46, p < 0.020) and middle tertile of female employment in all the economic activities except agriculture, industry and construction (β = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.04–0.46, p < 0.021) had a higher prevalence of contraceptive use. Regions in the middle tertile of female illiteracy (β = −0.25, 95% CI: −0.42–0.07, p < 0.006) had a lower prevalence of use of contraceptives than those in the lowest tertile. The authors of this study found mixed evidence of an association between gender equity and contraceptive use in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate clinical characteristics and risk factors of Chinese patients with post-operative acute kidney injury (PO-AKI). Methods: Patients with PO-AKI in Ruijin Hospital from December 1997 to December 2005 were retrospectively studied. Results: Patients' mean age was 62.2 ± 18.1 years. There were 111 males and 57 females. The mean serum creatinine at diagnosis was 370.41 ± 320.92 μmol/L and the mean estimated glomerular filtration rate was 33.56 ± 24.24 mL/min. For the outcome of the patients, 38 died and the mortality rate was 22.6%%. There were 17 patients (10.1%%) with Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative-RIFLE (risk-injury-failure-loss-end classification) phase R, 21 (12.5%%) with phase I, and 130 (77.4%%) with phase F. There was no significant difference in mortality regarding patients who underwent different types of surgeries. For the risk factors related to PO-AKI, acute tubular necrosis (ATN) increased relative risk of mortality PO-AKI (odds ratio == 7.089, 95%% confidence interval == 2.069-24.288, p < 0.001). Multivariate regression models showed that ATN had a positive correlation with mortality of PO-AKI. Conclusions: PO-AKI is one of the most common causes of AKI in patients who underwent operations. Special attention should be paid to risk factors related to PO-AKI in order to improve prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient synthetic route to inherently chiral calix[6]arenes with an ABC substitution pattern at the wide rim and a mesitylenyl unit at the narrow rim in the cone conformation was developed for the first time. Based on the selective formylation and bromination of 1,3,5-bridged calix[6]arene 1, two new inherently chiral calix[6]arene derivatives 4 and 5 have been prepared with moderate yields. The 1H NMR spectra indicate that these inherently chiral compounds adopt a cone conformation and their three different groups at the wide rim can create a chiral environment inside the cavity that maybe sensed by some chiral guests, which has also been confirmed by X-ray crystal structure of 4 and molecular modelling of 5. Complexation studies show that 5 displays exceptional properties for the binding of [image omitted] . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion. Endoscope-assisted partial-superficial parotidectomy is a feasible method for treatment of benign parotid superficial lobe tumors located at the anterior or the inferior of the auricular lobule. The main advantage of this procedure is that the small operative scar resulted in improved cosmetic results. Objectives. This study evaluated the feasibility of endoscope-assisted partial parotidectomy through two small skin incisions. Patients and methods. Thirty cases with benign parotid superficial lobe tumors with a diameter < 30 mm located at the anterior or the inferior of the auricular lobule underwent endoscope-assisted partial-superficial parotidectomy via retrograde approach through two small skin incisions. Results. All 30 operations were successfully performed endoscopically. All the patients were satisfied with the cosmetic results. Only three patients had transient facial paresis and recovered in 1–2 months. The endoscopic surgery lasted for 106.48±12.62 min. There was no tumor recurrence during the follow-up after 26–50 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phytochemical study on the twigs of Toddalia asiatica led to the isolation of two new geranyloxycoumarins, 7-geranyloxy-5-methoxycoumarin (1) and 8-geranyloxy-5,7-dimethoxycoumarin (2). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a case of right lateral auricle contracture malformation, auricular canal atresia, and complete facial paralysis (House-Brackmann grade VI) caused by a megatemperature hydro-aluminum injury at work. The diastrophic auricle and auricular canal atresia were reshaped. The complete facial paralysis was reanimated to House-Brackmann grade III after surgical hypoglossal-facial end-to-end anastomosis. These outcomes indicate that hypoglossal-facial end-to-end anastomosis is an effective surgical option for successful reanimation of complete facial paralysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limonium aureum is a perennial herb of Plumbaginaceae, and draw the attention of researchers by its medicinal and ecological value. In this study, we first report the complete chloroplast genome of L. aureum with paired-end sequencing method. The results showed that the complete chloroplast genome of L. aureum is 154,661 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure, including a large single-copy region (LSC, 84,545 bp), a single-copy region (SSC, 12, 980 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 28,568 bp). There are 113 annotated genes, consisting of 79 unique protein-coding genes, 4 unique ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. Moreover, we constructed a phylogenetic tree with L. aureum and other 34 species based on their complete chloroplast genomes. And the results of the phylogenetic topologies displayed that Plumbago auriculata was closely related to L. aureum. Our results will contribute to the better study and make use of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the complete regression and subsequent recurrence of Burkitt-like lymphoma during antiretroviral therapy in a 40-year-old male patient with AIDS. Clinical signs and symptoms; Proliferation of lymphoid cells; Percentage of p53[sup +] cells; Antinoplastic properties of zidovudine.